


The Sinking of The USS Morrison

by CardboarianNights



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexuality, Divorce Discussion, Happy Ending, Historical Romance, Jack's wife is totally on board with Jack having a boyfriend, M/M, Ship Sinking, WW2-Era, bisexual!Gabe, bisexual!jack, but our sailors survive, crushing on your fellow sailor, how the fuck are rehygerated eggs considered food???, implied enthusiastic polyamory?, it's okay to be bi, kamikazes, life on a ww2 US destroyer, lol seriously their food was shit, not present, pacific theatre, references to actual historical events, rejection of one's sexuality, the USS Morrison WAS a real US NAVY ship!!, their wives are only mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 05:32:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14909288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CardboarianNights/pseuds/CardboarianNights
Summary: Jack Morrison was aware that the US Navy has a twisted sense of humor after they transferred him to a destroyer that shared his surname, but comes to find contentment on said-boat as he found companionship with Gabriel Reyes. Together, they, along with three other sailors, manned one of the destroyer's most critical artillery platforms to keep the Kamikazes at bay the closer they got to the Japanese mainland.All things would change for them when dawn came on May 4th, 1945.





	The Sinking of The USS Morrison

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, the USS Morrison IS a real ship that took part in the Pacific Theatre. 
> 
> I couldn't pass up the chance to possibly do an R76 WW2-themed fic considering the fate of the ship and it's name relation to Jack!
> 
> I did strive to be accurate regarding some aspects of life on WW2-era destroyers (mainly the Fletcher-class, for obvious reasons), along with doing a bit of research into the operation/maintenance of the artillery cannons Jack and Gabe operate. If I messed up my terminology then I apologize in advance to any diehard WW2 fans.
> 
> Also, if the -lack- of homophobia or era-appropriate racism somehow sours your enjoyment then please understand that this fic's drama isn't focused on any of that. No racial slurs are used against Gabriel.
> 
> Please enjoy my first attempt at an actual historical fic.

May 4th, 1945. 

Off the coast of Okinawa, Japan.

 

Three days of heavy rain were both a blessing and a curse to the US naval ships stationed off the waters of Okinawa. Rain meant a miserable watch duty for the sailors posted on the deck, keeping an eye out for remnants of the fractured Imperial Japanese navy but also brought some much needed respite from the desperate nation’s suicidal birds. Instead of literal hell roaring down on them in the form of the kamikaze planes packed with explosives, the rumble of thunder and dark clouds brought a form of calm to the hearts of anxious sailors. Their ships bobbing and dipping in the waves from the storm as the US moved closer to getting the Japanese to surrender.

It made the clear dawn skies this morning that much more annerving - this couldn't be more perfect for the Japanese air bases looking to damage their fleet in the only way they possibly could at this point in the war.

Jack Morrison rubbed his frigid palms together quickly before bringing them up to his lips to blow puffs of hot air on them as he stood watch beside the Bofors 40mm L60 duo artillery gun mount he was posted by this morning. He was as antsy about the clear sky as the rest of his men on the anti-aircraft platform as they past lit cigarettes back and forth between each other. Now that the sun was up enough, a light from a match wouldn't make a difference if Japanese subs were watching while their destroyer’s radar kept an eye out for incoming planes on the horizon. 

Their little ‘tin can’ Fletcher-class destroyer, the USS Morrison, (yes, Jack was aware of his Navy ship assigner’s sense of humor) was the spearhead of a group of smaller ships, alongside the USS Ingraham, acting as a radar picket station. By using their radars to act as an early warning system, the rest of the much more valuable American task force aircraft carriers several miles away would know that the enemy planes were coming with enough time to get their own fighters up into the air for defense. This, unfortunately, opened them up as prime targets for submarines and kamikaze fighters growing more desperate by the day to keep the Americans at bay. It was only a matter of ‘when’ the landings on the mainland were to occur at this point in the aggressive island hopping campaign the US was conducting. They were much easier to reach and damage then the aircraft carriers in the distance that were conducting daily air raids on the Japanese mainland.

Jack tucked his hands into his pants pockets to heat them up regardless if the temperature was quite warm this morning. His hands always go numb when he got anxious, much to his clip loader, and best friend, Gabriel Reyes’, annoyance as he eyed Jack from where he was crouched down by a pile of bulky, ammunition boxes, on stand by. Jack didn't even have to look down at the man to know he was watching him. He was doing enough rocking back and forth on his heels to annoy anyone on the platform but they kept quiet since he was one of their best gun layers on board and the captain of their team.

Best to allow for some antsy behavior than bitch out the guy who has three kamikaze kills under his belt - ‘Gift horse’ and all that.

The ocean was lightly rolling against the hull of the ship as Jack leaned his shoulder against the barrel of duo mount cannon he commanded, the Okinawa island in the distance like a looming omen of death. His hands were rubbing back and forth together without him noticing when he unconsciously removed them from his pocket, unable to shake his nerves as he tried to breath in and out slowly to calm himself. The hum of hellcat fighters flew overhead caught his attention, the planes patrolling the airspace over them drawing Jack out of his thoughts as his eyes went upwards, marveling at the silver underside of the squadron high up above them as it reflected the warm colors of the rising, dawn sun.

The sight of the planes helped to ease the tightness in Jack’s chest as he remembered that they weren't really alone out here with just the Ingraham and a few landing boats. There were also the landbases the army captured, a few islands away, that could get some planes up into the air but they would probably be a longshot at backing them up, unlike the air group above them.

A familiar arm draped over Jack’s shoulders, making the blonde’s lips turn upwards into a small smile as he gazed over at Reyes, the man making himself comfortable by slotting his side up against Jack's before they silently went back to watching the hellcats circle above. The heavy, metaphorical cage constricting Jack’s chest broke up slowly as the familiar press of the other man against his side allowed him to breathe more easily, nerves temporarily relieved. The first breath in was as light as the next breath out. The muscular build of the gun loader showing as he only wore a simple undershirt while Jack opted for his full uniform regardless of how unbearable the heat could get at times.

“Still think it should be you flying up there, Jackie.” Gabriel murmured quietly, like he has many times before on the subject.

Jack smiled wistfully at that remark and nodded his head, bringing his own arm up to drape over Gabriel's shoulders in return. His heart heavy as he felt the jagged scars on his face and left leg throb at memories he rather not remember. Memories he was too ashamed to tell Gabriel and the rest of his friends on the Morrison.

He heaved a heavy sigh at that before looking back out at the outline of Okinawa in the distance. “Just wasn't meant to be, Gabe.” Jack remarked before remembering the hard slap of a hand hitting him square on the back when he joined the ship’s crew a while back, and a sweet laugh that made the war not feel as burdensome on the soul as it really was. Warmth bloomed over Jack’s cheeks, and it certainly wasn't from the being outside in the growing heat. 

Jack chuckled lightly at the silly feelings budding in his chest before looking over at Gabriel with a lazy, lopsided smile on his lips. “‘Sides, I wouldn't have met you then. You probably wouldn’t be half as good-looking as a tiny dot on a ship deck from afar.” He teased, watching as Gabriel's eyes widened before he threw his head back to bark out in laughter. 

Jack’s heart soared higher than any fighter plane he could possibly crash, though he certainly felt the scorching heat burning his cheeks and the tips of his ears. It was a trade off he was glad to have made, in hindsight - leaving the plane flying to more capable people and let his deadly aim with an artillery gun show the Japanese what for!

The fact that he met a guy who could make him smile as much as his wife at home probably helped offset the disappointment of not being able to fly too though. Not that he would ever admit to pining after his best friend.

“Morrison, Reyes, Hughes, Lamport, Richards, and Brinks!”

Gabriel and Jack pulled away from each other while Lamport and Hughes put out the cig they were passing back and forth under a boot where they were reclining back by the wall, smoking away from the ammunition boxes. The two box runners followed the two smokers over to the watch officer who called them as their relief came in the form of six sailors, like a fresh breeze on the man’s heels. Jack felt himself smile in approval at finally being able to take a load off after four continuous hours of standing watch with his men.

“You six are relieved. Enjoy breakfast.” The watch officer spoke before Gabriel and Jack finished their salutes and left their positions on the artillery platform to head out to the mess hall below deck.

Jack sighed in relief as he felt how stiff his body was from standing the whole time, pressing his palms to his lower back to pop his vertebrae. The loud crack that followed felt so damn good but caused Gabriel to shoot him an amused look as a result.

“Damn. Sure you didn't break something permanent with that one?”

Jack elbowed Gabriel hard in the side, causing the other man to cry out as he jokingly slipped away from Jack while they continued forward. Several other crews were being rotated out like them as they headed for food or the barracks to rest before their next shift would commence in four hours. Gabriel and Jack continued to grin at each other as they elbowed each other playfully, surprisingly spry until they reached the door to head down into the ship. They ceased their shenanigans there as their feet echoed down the steps in the stairwell with the other men heading below deck at this entrance.

Gabriel rolled his shoulders after they eventually got into line for mess, Jack groaning in agreement as he felt his bad leg ache a bit from watching Gabe loosen his up.

“Bad leg day, Jack?” Gabriel asked, knowing that Jack had a stiff leg that bothered him but not exactly the traumatic event that caused it. The line moved up slowly as they got closer and closer to the mess hall entrance in the distance. 

Jack nodded his head at that. “Yeah, not too bad. A few laps on the deck should help loosen it up a bit. Mostly the rain’s fault.” He shrugged off casually, Gabriel eyeing him with some concern before letting it slide as he tucked his hands into his shorts pockets. 

“... When was the last time we anchored with a fridge ship again?” Jack asked hesitantly, the cold dread of realization that they were going to the mess hall to eat making his stomach suddenly feel less hungry than before.

Gabriel brought a hand up from his pocket to unsympathetically tap the side of Jack’s cheeks repeatedly. “Aw. Does Jackie-poo not like the idea of eating eggs again for breakfast?”

Jack scoffed at that and lightly slapped Gabriel’s hand away while they moved a few steps forward with the line once more. “Maybe if they were actually eggs and not rehydrated powder being passed for ‘eggs’ then maybe I wouldn't question if the Navy is violating the Geneva Convention or not.” 

Gabriel smirked in amusement at that as he adjusted his undershirt, fanning himself lightly with the cloth since there were no portholes to allow for better ventilation below deck. Jack brought his own hand up to brush away the beads of sweat that rolled down over his brow. 

Maybe he should ditch his shirt as well now that he was off-duty. 

“To answer your question; No, we have not hooked up with a supply ship recently to expect shit like actual meat being served to us. Could really go for some coffee right about now though.” Gabriel grumbled lightly at that last part, making Jack snicker as he lightly elbowed his best friend.

“Sure thing, Mr. Enlisted! One hot cup coming right up!” Jack teased as he played it up, making Gabriel roll his eyes before he lightly elbowed Jack in return with a little smile curling the corners of his lips upwards.

“You going to raid the officers wardroom for their coffee pot, Big Boy? They’re going to launch you out of a cannon if you’re not stealthy enough.”

Now Jack was grinning as they finally moved up enough to enter the mess hall. “Not sure if the weather is good enough for an all-expense paid trip to Okinawa though.” He sarcastically remarked.

“Yeah. Doubt the locals would be eager to share their coffee with you.”

Jack chuckled at that. “You would probably mistake me for a porcupine from how many bayonets they would run through me.”

That got them both to snort out in laughter before the line moved forward enough so they could grab a pair of trays, Gabriel passing Jack one as they continued to play the waiting game until they finally laid eyes on the meal for breakfast. It was enough to sink Jack’s good mood as he held his tray and put a genuine pout on his lips. 

“You think food on the carriers or battleships are any better?” Jack asked, just wanted to make conversation so he didn't have to think about how much ketchup he was going to have to dump on today’s daily serving of once-powdered eggs to make them edible.

Gabriel just paused before turning to look back at Jack like he was a moron, which, ironically enough, wasn’t that far from the truth.

“Jack, why don’t YOU tell me if the grub on the capital ships are any better.” He spelt out, making Jack groan as he brought a hand up to his face in embarrassment.

“Come on, Gabe. I wasn't on the Big E longer than a week, and that was BEFORE the war!” 

Gabriel smirked smugly at Jack as the blonde followed him forward when the line moved up again. 

“I swear. I’m building a chicken coop when I get back home! Powdered food is hardly the way a person should eat!” Jack grumbled, bringing his sleeve up to brush away the next layer of sweat on his brow from how hot and humid it was as they went deeper into the mess hall. The sea of bodies packing the small area, along with the heat from the stoves, making the open deck above seem luxurious by comparison. He hated the way the ship felt like an low-heat oven at all times. 

Gabriel clicked his tongue at that as he moved forward one step, in time with the line. “You sure Lisa is gonna like that? I mean, she does have to run the whole farm AND tend to your three little klutzes.”

Jack playfully balked at that in offense, bringing one hand up to press his hand to his chest like Gabriel had just shot him. “How terribly rude, Gabriel! To think I was going to let you stay and live in my own home!”

Jack watched as Gabriel casually shrugged his shoulders at that. “Quite the assumption you’re making, Jackie. Implying that I’ll be content to move to the middle of Nowhere, Indiana just because my wife doesn’t want me back.” He sighed sarcastically, making Jack’s heart unintentionally leap up into his throat in a surge of panic.

“W-wait…!” Jack was stumbling for words at that as he leaned in closer to Gabe, not wanting to voice the other man’s marital issues out loud for all to hear, even if it really was loud in the mess hall. “You and your wife are-...?”

Jack watched as Gabriel’s face darkened a bit at that. “Yeah… Didn’t take the news too happily… Thinks I’ll go running off to do shit, based on her last letter, even though I told her that nothing was going to change between us.” He whispered quietly back to Jack before heaving a heavy sigh. “I love Jenny and our kids. I would die to see them happy, Jackie… Why does everything have to change just because I’m honest about… You know?”

Jack’s heart felt like it had been shot from how hard it was to hear Gabriel tell him what his wife wrote back to him, especially when Jack encouraged him to be true to himself when Gabriel wavered on what to do. Dying was a very real possibility out here. War was the kind of place where soldiers had to be honest with themselves, especially when it involved their peace of mind to fight without hesitation on the battlefield.

It was something Jack should get working on instead of just encouraging others to do it around him.

He was such a damn hypocrite…

Jack felt his lower lip quiver and clamped his teeth down around it to harden his nerves. Now was not the time to confess, especially when everyone else in line could possibly hear and Gabriel and Jack would still be awkwardly stuck in line. Talking about your feelings for your best friend and wanting them to live with you for the rest of your lives with your wife and kids wasn’t exactly a conversation for the mess hall line.

But, then again, neither was Gabriel’s somber confession of his wife’s plans for divorce…

With that in mind, Jack brought a hand up and gently rested it on Gabriel’s shoulder. A pair of brown eyes gazed at him, heavy with emotional fatigue, but the man didn’t push Jack’s hand away, even when he gave the bare muscle a reassuring squeeze.

“It’ll be okay.” Jack spoke quietly, just letting the words come out, and watching as Gabriel’s lips slowly curved upwards from that. They both moved down the line, Jack pulling his hand away and moved closer to the serving trays before Gabriel turned back around.

“Thanks. I’m sure it won’t be too boring living on a farm... You guys have horses?” Gabriel asked with a small, sheepish smile that had Jack’s heart soaring.

No way! Was he- !?

Gabriel was seriously going to take him up on the offer?!

Jack was clenching the edges of his tray in excitement as he did his absolute best not to look as eager as he felt. Last thing he wanted was to scare his best friend away by coming off as a creeper, his stomach doing somersaults as he was stuck between bliss and absolute fear. But, it seemed that ‘fear’ won over as a frantic voice shocked the entire room into a frenzy when an announcement loudly blared throughout the ship.

“ALL PERSONNEL TO GENERAL QUARTERS. I REPEAT, ALL PERSONNEL TO GENERAL QUARTERS!”

There was a mad scramble as boots slid and squeaked on the floor while the guys sitting at the tables and eating shot up. Trays were quickly set down everywhere and meals forgotten as everyone off-duty in the mess hall rushed to get into the corridor, up the staircase and to their stations. The rushing of boots and the distant clanging of the alert bell on the deck seemed to pump adrenaline into everyone as sailors rushed to the barracks to awaken their sleeping comrades and proceed to seal all the watertight doors in preparation for battle.

Gabriel and Jack dashed off with the sailors heading for the stairwell, any thoughts of breakfast pushed from their minds as they mentally prepared themselves for battle. They jogged to their already manned artillery platform, Hughes and Lamport already there for assistance as Gabriel and Jack came sliding to a halt while the current captain of the relief team watched them come barreling in. Richard and Brinks arrived a few minutes afterwards, probably running from the barracks to get to their posts.

It was there that the team manning their platform took off to head to their assigned general quarter’s station now that Jack and his team arrived.

Jack swallowed hard as he felt his hands grow numb, rubbing them back and forth together to get some blood flowing into them. Hughes went to his seat as the gun trainer, on the opposite side of the duo mount, while Gabriel, Lamport, and Richard got into position behind the guns as the loaders. Brinks stood off to the side, ready to run and get more ammunition boxes as the other three manually loaded the empty cassettes with four shells each before shoving them down into each gun, working quickly to fill the other cassettes as time passed. 

A cold chill of dread filled Jack’s stomach as he climbed up into his chair and let muscle memory pull him through as he let himself work through his pre-battle jitters. The open water ahead helped him center himself as his hands came up to grip the rotation handles, doing one rotation to elevate the gun up slightly before rotating it in reverse to put the gun back at the elevation it was before. His fingers flexing and rolling on the handles to loosen them up. Jack almost flinched when he felt a hand fall on his shoulder, looking over to the loader position to see Gabriel standing there.

Jack felt relieved as Gabriel helped pulled him from his head, especially when his lips curled upwards into that confident, reassuring smile of his. The heavy weight pushed away from Jack’s chest as Gabriel moved his hands to Jack’s shoulders to make him sit up straight instead of curling in on himself in fear. 

“Breathe, Jackie. Breath.” Gabriel insisted, Jack following along by taking a deep breath in as he let his head tilt back to let it fill his lungs fully. 

Stress breaking off into bits and pieces with every breath in and out as Jack let himself get recentered once more. 

He was a good artillery captain. 

Gabriel was here too along with the rest of his team that he knew he could rely on.

Gabriel and Jack’s gaze snapped away from one another as another announcement started blaring across the ship.

“ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO BATTLESTATIONS, I REPEAT, ALL PERSONNEL REPORT TO BATTLESTATIONS!”

The two men looked back at each other, Jack feeling his heart sink at that as he looked at Gabriel. 

The ship was locked down and ready to go now that the enemy had been sighted.

All the artillery cannons ready with their crews itching to go as Jack and Gabriel turned to look out in the distance. 

Numerous black dots rising over the outline of the island in the distance as only the cries of sea birds could be heard on deck; Everyone silent as the grave as the Morrison’s engine kicked into high gear along with the Ingraham, and the various landing crafts that made up the radar picket. Speed and maneuverability being their best defensive weapons alongside the anti-air guns they had mounted on the destroyers. 

Jack gritted his teeth as he felt his blood starting to pump in his veins, his jitters fading with the breeze that blew over him. Nothing but him, his men, the sights on his cannon, and his foot ready to push down on the firing pedal once they were within range.

Like this, Jack felt he had total control. 

His enemy was going to come right at him, and his cannon, just begging to get knocked right out of the sky. A feat that came much more naturally to him on a rooted platform than at the fighter pilot’s seat. His vision hyper focused as blood pounded through his veins, his heart like a war drum. He was one of the many vipers that protected this ship and the enemy would know of his bofor’s fangs once more.

The engines of the approaching Japanese planes grew louder and louder in the distance. The enemy more than ready to die simply for the chance to sink their ship.

And like fucking hell Jack and his team would let them.

“OPEN FIRE!!”

Jack’s foot slammed the heavy firing pedal down, the lever clicking hard as it hit the back of the footboard; The two Bofor cannons firing out their tracer rounds with kickback as Jack’s seat vibrated from the force. Jack let off the pedal for a second as the platform rotated with Hughes cranking the handle bars on his end while Jack’s biceps tensed as he rotated his own to raise the angle now that he had a target. One of the tracer rounds falling colorfully nearby one of the approaching kamikazes in the distance heading towards them. The heavy clattering sound of the shells being dropped into the guns vibrated the bar in Jack’s hand before he felt something land on his head followed by a tap on the helmet.

Gabriel noticed that he forgot his helmet and put one on for him - Gotta love that guy for his thoughtfulness, even in a combat situation. 

With the tap on his head signalling that the gun was loaded and ready to fire, Jack slammed his foot back down on the firing pedal, his sights locked onto the enemy plane dipping down to head straight for the broadside of the Morrison. 

The pilot made a grave mistake by dropping down so early out of formation with the other older and slower planes that Japan had left. The maneuver was answered with a wall of shells firing continuously out of the Bofors that lined the Morrison and Ingraham, the kamikaze shredded like paper as it fell to piece in a ball of fire into the sea. Jack’s turret shells didn’t claim that one but this was a team effort to survive. Kills could be argued over once they were all safe, at least in Jack’s eyes.

The Japanese pilots must have took notice of the overly-eager diver getting eviscerated and stayed in close formation, not wanting to expose their broad underbellies or sides until the last possible moment. It was textbook tactics but vital ones to learn since a smaller target was harder to hit than a wider one.

Of course, that was assuming ammo conservation was a problem, and the US certainly had PLENTY of ammo to burn to keep the kamikazes at arm's length. 

Jack kept his foot down on the pedal, their canons contributing to the steady wall of death to try to scare off the bogues, or at least panic the greatly inexperienced Japanese pilots into making mistakes to allow them to pick them off in the sky. Luckily, they weren’t alone as the hellcats that were on patrol earlier made a spectacular reappearance, a real sight for sore eyes as the silver planes intercepted the Japanese onea. Jack felt more confident with their friends in the sky giving them support, but knew better than to assume that their job was done because the dogfighting began. 

And right on the money he was as one of the infamous ‘Zeke’/’Zero’ fighter planes managed to break through, making a dive for the Morrison, even under heavy shelling. Luckily, the pilot fell short as it’s payload plunged into the water off the starboard side of the ship, a pillar of water rising out of the ocean in its explosive wake but failing to cause any damage. 

Jack took his foot off the pedal after the final shell was spent, waiting and watching the enemy’s movements in the sky near their side of the ship as Brinks continued to bring more and more boxes of shells. Lamport was moving as fast as he could to load the spare shells into the cassettes Gabriel and Richard passed to him after they were spent. Jack’s team needed a few seconds to catch back up as he felt and heard the rattling of the filled cassettes get dropped into the loader, adrenaline from the battle keeping them on their toes before Gabriel tapped Jack’s helmet again, signaling the next round was ready to be fired. He pushed his foot back down on the pedal to continue his own platform’s barrage on the enemy planes high in the sky, avoiding their own planes the best that they could as Jack continued to rotate the handle bars up and down as he followed their nearby target.

It felt like this nightmarish game with the Japanese planes dragged on for hours as the Morrison and the rest of the radar picket continued to weave and dodge the kamikazes that managed to break through the flak. Jack and the other AA-gun crew pausing once and awhile to manually change out the overheated cannon barrels with their spares, rotating the barrels between barrages when their guns couldn't reach the enemy zooming far overhead. He absolutely hated the moments when the planes were out of range of their gun mount, not wanting to be helpless and unable to actively contribute to the fight where he and his men could!

A massive explosion behind him on the ship tore Jack’s eyes away from the sea, Gabriel’s stunned expression in clear view as he held a loaded cassette in his arms in mid-transfer to the loader in front of him. One of the ship’s smoke stacks was up in flames with debris and embers plunging onto the deck, fire control crews rushing to get the fire quickly under control as Jack gritted his teeth at the sight.

“Eyes forward!” Jack barked as loudly as he could over the chaos and pounding of the active artillery mounts nearby. 

A tap on the helmet was all Jack needed as he caught sight of another Zeke and slammed his foot down on the firing pedal, Hughes and him working in tandem to correct for speed and trajectory while their twin mount continued to pound savo after savo of shells at the plane. He knew that he couldn’t help anyone if he abandoned his post; it was too critical to keep up the intimidating wall of shell fire to deter any meek pilot thinking about dropping out of the sky to die for his country. His biceps burned as he continued to crank the handle bars, teeth gritting hard while his eyes focused hard on getting the proper angle to lead the shots. The Hellcats could only do so much to keep the kamikaze from diving at them as the landing ships nearby in the picket were sunk by strafing fire or suicide charge by the Japanese that got through. Jack was doing his best to focus on the dogfights in the air and looking for more targets to shoot down. Anyone in the water would have to wait until the battle was over to be saved.

The loud pounding of the Bofors and the rattling of the cassettes sliding down into the guns helped block out the cries for help that Jack could make out. The twisted, burning wrecks on the oil-slicked surface making Jack want to vomit if not for the next explosion that rocked the ship, Jack being thrown forward into the rotation bars and thankfully not tossed out of his seat. Three seaplanes had slammed right into the ship in close succession when Jack shot up from his post to see over the barrel, his foot taken off the firing pedal. 

Fire and chaos erupted on the deck as Gabriel and the others began abandoning their machine gun. Secondary explosions from the ammunition catching fire on a platform to their left made Jack propel himself off of the anti-air cannon he commanded, hitting the deck hard when the blast washed over him. His hands covering the back of his neck as he felt scorching pieces of shrapnel rain over him and the others on the deck before he scrambled to make for the fire hoses.

Gabriel grabbed the head of the hose as Lamport and the rest of the team helped him pull the heavy fire-retardant cloth that made up the bulk of the hose’s length. Jack skid to a halt on the deck as he grasped the crank and let the water from the tank go at full blast, watching as Gabriel battled the inferno that was the destroyed Bofor platform beside their own.

Jack felt the ship begin to list heavy over the course of the next few minutes, making it clear that the damage control crews were unable to patch the holes the kamikazes made in the hull of the ship on the other side. While the fire on the platform was put out with their mad scramble, Jack quickly grabbed the life vests that were stored in a nearby locker.

“Gabe! The ship is sinking!!” He screamed out as loud as he could over the uncontrolled fires and explosions, slipping his own on securely before tossing each of the life vest as quickly as he could to the others that managed to make their way over to the station. 

“I can fucking see that!” Gabriel threw the hose down in frustration and left the hose running as he dashed over the gradually tilting deck, dodging loose shells and spent cases that rolled by, taking the life jacket and slipping it on in a hurry. Their group also worked quickly to toss the inflatable life boats overboard like giant rubber disks after they cranked the air canistered attached to start filling them.

Jack watched as several sailors stared abandoning ship even before the order was given, plunging into the ocean and swimming as hard as they could away from the ship to prevent being dragged under. He felt Gabriel grab his wrist and yank him towards the sharply rising rail on the side of the ship, both of them practically slipping as the angle continued to rise towards the sky. He and his team climbed over the sliding boxes of ammunition and loose shells before pulling themselves over the railing and flinging themselves as far from the side of the ship as they could.

The life jacket tanked a good portion of the blow when Jack hit the water, struggling to unlace his boots underwater before kicking them away when they got loose enough. He began swimming like mad as he breached the surface, ignoring the dull ache in his bad leg; not wanting the rip current to drag him down with the rapidly capsizing ship behind him. He kicked and kicked and exerted everything in his power to get away, the inferno and rattling of machine guns from the planes and the ships still in the fight filling the air as salt water stung his eyes.

The howl of a low-flying plane caught Jack’s attention, snapping his head to the left to see one angling downwards towards an inflating raft several yards away from him - The Morrison almost completely capsized further away in his peripheral vision. 

His hands moved faster than his mind as he quickly untied his life vest and dived down into the water, pulling himself down as far as he could since he knew what was going to happen. A few short seconds later he heard the muffled hum fly overhead above him and scrambled quickly back to the surface, gasping out loudly after he breached. His hands quickly brushing away the salt water as fast as possible before trying to get his bearings through the lingering sting.

Jack found his life jacket floating a few feet away from him and quickly prioritized grabbing the flotation device, resting his arm on it in case the Japanese pilots went in for another strafing run on the stranded sailors. He was panting hard from exertion and adrenaline, his eyes darting about the water for signs of Gabriel and the others now that the immediate threat to his own life was over for the moment. 

The inflatable raft from earlier didn't fair well against the strafing run as it was deflating rapidly while the two delirious survivors on it cried out and scrambled, one of them rushing over to strip the lifejacket off an unmoving sailor.

From that sight alone, Jack began to panic as he turned rapidly around, looking for Gabriel and praying that he hadn’t climbed aboard that ill-fated raft. Two deafening explosions ripped Jack’s attention away from looking for his friends as he watched the burning Morrison plunge rapidly into the sea. 

His mind blanked at that very moment as he began to realize how quickly the ship began to list before he and his team abandoned ship. He didn’t even have ten minutes to get away before that explosion happened, what about those below the deck like engineering...?

“Jack? Jack!! JACK MORRISON!!” 

A hand forcefully turned Jack away from the missing Morrison and found himself looking at a heavily panting, and cut up Gabriel Reyes. Jack was trembling hard as he looked at his best friend, closing the gap between them both to kiss him in relief. He didn’t even care when Gabriel shoved him away in shock and instead lett the man say what he wanted as the planes and gun fire continued to rattle over them.

“What the fuck?!” Gabriel shouted, seeming more surprised than angery before grabbing Jack’s uniform collar and dragging him back over so they wouldn't get seperated. “Right now?!”

Jack tensed up at that but wasn't going to back down. “I was terrified!” He managed to blurt out as he continued to tremble in fear.

They were out in open water. Their ship was sunk along with everyone else unable to abandon ship quickly enough. The Japanese were strafing them in the water just to dig the knife in harder and Jack was THIS to losing his whole damn mind just to cope. Fuck, they might just die to sharks and shit while the battle continued to drag on. The Ingraham and other small ships were too busy maneuvering away from kamikazes themselves to pick up survivors just yet. 

He was going to die out here.

“Jack! Jack!!” 

He felt himself be dragged out of the cold inevitable churning in his mind to find himself shaking like a leaf, Gabriel looking at him in concern as they continued to bob up and down in the ocean. Blood smeared over Gabriel's brow as he wiped his cut up face, wincing at the sting of salt water entering his shallow wounds once more. Jack noticed that he was floating without much trouble, the life vest strapped back on him as Gabriel locked arms with him on their backs. 

“Listen, we’re going to be okay.” Gabriel reassured him slowly, lifting one hand out of the water to point up to the sky where one of the Japanese planes ignited into a ball of fire and fell smack into the ocean in the distance. “See! Our guys are making Swiss cheese of the Japanese!” He energetically proclaimed, probably trying to keep Jack’s spirits up.

Jack felt himself try to smile, wanting to desperately believe in the hope Gabriel was going on about. Yes, the USA had air superiority in the Pacific for quite some time but that didn't mean they couldn't die out here in the water just because the hellcat squadron was cleaning house. Hell, his leg was aching something fierce from the cold water and compounding the pains he was having earlier. Yes, he was still floating and in his life jacket but swimming might be a bit tough if they had to go a significant amount of distance to shore or a rescue boat. An enemy submarine could surface and take advantage of the chaos to gun down those stranded on the surface or even fire off torpedoes to sink more ships! 

“Come on, Jackie.” Gabriel lightly slapped that back of Jack’s life jacket, trying to get him to relax. “Tell me more about your farm! What do they grow out there? Potatoes?” He grinned as they both continued to float in the water, the oil slick from the sunken Morrison drifting closer to them like Death’s black cloak.

Jack felt tears sting the corners of his eyes as he realized the ship was probably at the bottom of the sea by now. 

It was so hard to believe that their destroyer would sink and not against a cleverly aimed torpedo or a well-placed artillery shell from a Japanese naval ship. The fact that there weren't nearly enough stranded sailors in the water with them was another hard fact to swallow; That those not already on deck, or possibly on the bridge, probably drowned miserably in the ship. Good men who probably had families waiting for them back home didn't even have enough time to comprehend that the ship was sinking too fast before the explosions ripped the ship in two!

Their lives stolen by those cowardly Japanese that refused to surrender and sent half a ship full of men down to the cold depths of the sea by filling their cockpits with explosives and committing suicide!

Cowards!

COWARDS!!

They should have just surrendered!!

Jack’s blood began to boil as the black oil slick engulfed the pure ocean around both him and Gabriel. The Morrison and her crew, nor the Japanese forced to die in such a way, deserved this!! His fist balled tightly, nails digging sharply into his palm at how outrageous this whole thing was. 

So much pointless loss of life! 

“Jackie…” 

The snapping of artillery and machine gun fire from the planes fighting in the sky continued to fill the air as Jack and Gabriel clothing and skin from the shoulders down were coated with oil. Other survivors scattered about the waves in small groups, everyone too afraid of congregating further and making themselves prime targets for strafing fire by the Japanese planes taking pot shots when they could. 

It would be like this for the next few hours as Jack and the rest of the survivors floated about. Gabriel stuck to Jack like glue and let him rest from time to time, his eyes ever alert for sudden changes in the Japanese planes overhead. Jack was so out of it that he wasn't even aware that rescue had came for them until Gabriel started screaming up a storm.

“HEY!!! OVER HERE!!! WE AREN'T DEAD!!! HEEEEEYYYY!!”

Jack probably would have shit himself if he had the opportunity to actually eat breakfast this morning. Speaking of that, he was having trouble keeping his eyes open even with all the flailing Gabriel was doing to attract the attention of the ship pulling survivors from the water. 

A landing ship pulled up in front of them, Jack not really processing that this was really happening until he was suddenly yanked backwards before a nearby splash hit him in the face with cold, oily seawater. A man breached the water next to them, a smile on his face even though he was missing two teeth, the rest of them darkened, probably from chewing tobacco. It took a long minute before Jack realized the guy was shirtless and intentionally dove into the water off the side of the landing ship.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Gents! Figured one of us jumps in now to help haul ya aboard than later.” The young man spoke with a positive vibe that seemed to put a weak smile on Jack’s weary face. “Name's Toby!”

Jack felt a hand on either side of his life vest push him closer to the side of the landing ship as a thick cargo net was lowered over the side into the water.

“I’m Gabriel, this is Jack.” Gabriel spoke as he grabbed on to one of the many loops on the cargo net.

“Nice t’meet ya both!” Toby replied cheerfully. “Gonna get to business, Gents, since we got many, many stops waitin’. We got a motorized crank that we rigged to pull the ropes up so ya won’t need t’climb. Jackie here seems a bit tuckered out so Gabriel and I will help keep yer ass from falling but ya need to to try to hold on tight too, alright, Jack? Cant bring the dead on board, get me?”

Jack nodded his head slowly, feeling very light-headed and parched as he brought his shaky hands up to grab the net and hook his feet onto it too. It was very obvious what would happen if he was too exhausted to not be able to do this much, especially with assistance from two people. The Japanese planes might be gone for now or were thinned down to the point where ships were actively beginning to collect survivors but another wave could always head their way again…

“I’ll… be fine…” Jack spoke as he clutched the ropes tightly in his hands, feeling Gabriel and Toby grip onto his life vest and his waist. He had a pretty good idea of who felt concerned enough for his safety to hold him like that against them but felt too tired to look at anything less.

“Haul ‘er up!!” Toby yelled, and a few moments later, the rope started moving upwards, smoke rising up as the repurposed motor worked to pull the three of them up and out of the water.

Jack felt his body become heavier and cold the higher up the side of the haul they went, his knuckle white from how hard he was gripping the rope net for dear life. His teeth painfully clenched together to keep himself alert and focused as his body wanted nothing but to doze off. The rumbling of the ropes from the motor made his fingers numb but eventually several pairs of arms grabbed his own over the top of the landing boat and he was hauled straight over. Luckily, he was caught by those same hands instead of plummeting face first into the metal floor, Gabriel's voice shouting from somewhere above.

“CAREFUL!! HE HAS A BAD LEG!” Jack’s best friend snapped. 

Jack was then lowered to the floor with a bit more care then he honestly expected.

Two pairs of feet hit the metal floor before the loud motor was shut off, and the craft departed as the engine flared to life, taking off quickly to find more survivors, like them. Being in the water for hours meant that the chances of survivors dying went up, even in the relatively warm water. Hypothermia might be slower to set in but that didn't mean much for those who were bleeding out slowly from their wounds or too exhausted and isolated from others to possibly drown, those would kill them faster. 

“Hey…! You with me, Jackie…!?”

Jack realized he had nodded off and was shivering like a leaf as he weakly opened his eyes, watching through half-lidded eyes while Gabriel stripped off his life jacket and clothing. Gabriel was only in his briefs, like many of the other shivering survivors huddling together in the open space of the landing ship. A lack of Marines packing every inch of the loading deck was really a jarring experience, especially since that was purpose of these smaller ships until the US realized they could help carry some of the smaller radar when not in use.

Now only in his briefs, he grumbled as Gabriel dragged him to his feet and made him walk over to sun spot with the others. Jack’s foot coordination was atrocious as he stumbled over his own feet, Gabriel's, and constantly jammed his toes into the bolts on the floor, bruising his big toe and nails. If not for Gabriel practically dragging him consistently to the constantly moving sun spot, maybe Jack would finally be able to have that nap his body was dying for.

“Gaaaaaabe.” Jack moaned like a wounded dog, especially when the craft’s engine started up after pulling four new survivors on board, and the sun spot was on the move again. His whole body was aching and numb, Gabriel stubbornly ignoring Jack’s quiet protests as he kept one of Jack’s arms firmly pulled over his shoulder and made them both move over and over. “Gabriel…”

“Come on, Jackie. Make death work for it.” Gabriel growled, yanking hard on Jack’s arm to try to jolt him.

‘Work for it’? Jack could barely keep his eyes open as it was as he sloppily maneuvered one foot in front of the other, his eyes gazing down at the rusting metal floor and his banged up feet. His skin was pretty damn pale but his foot was covered in the brown, rusty seawater from the puddles, making him try to focus more into making himself walk more proficiently since Gabriel was basically carrying his weight fully against his side. Opening wounds here was going to be tetanus shot hell whenever they were eventually taken to a hospital ship or something.

The craft came to a slow halt again, allowing Jack some relief as he all but collapsed against Gabriel while they stood in the sun spot. It felt like heaven being able to rest his head against Gabriel's shoulders as they both bathed in the warmth and getting a small nap in before the roar of the gas motor jolted him awake.

Like a slap across the face, Jack groaned as Gabriel readjusted Jack’s arm over his shoulder and the two of them readied to move once the survivors were pulled onboard. Together, they slapped foot after foot across the warm metal floor, Gabriel somehow keeping himself strong for the both of them while Jack felt like an infant on his feet.

They continued moving back and forth after every stop, Jack ignoring the heart-breaking sobs and pleads, not really sure of the context until Gabriel brought Jack in for a hug; Gabriel sniffling and murmuring ‘thank you, God’ over and over like a heartfelt prayer. Those long moments were the only time Gabriel would let them both lean against the wall and the sunspot drifted off and away from them, holding Jack so close to him and sneaking a kiss to his forehead. Of course, those moments didn't last long but it was enough to warm Jack’s heart as Gabriel pushed him to walk again, both of them chasing the sunlight again even as it began to set in the distance.

The landing craft then continued on for a long time without pause, Jack realizing that there were a lot of waterlogged sailors packed into the space now. Gabriel was basically holding Jack upright against his body they rested against the wall, the other man’s arms on his waist while Jack rested his head against Gabe's shoulder. The craft rocked and bobbed in the relatively calm waves, making its way at full speed to safety and away from the radar picket line.

He felt like an asshole for basically being dead weight against Gabriel, not really warming up even with the sun spot basking and his pathetic attempts at exercising to follow it. Everything about Jack was plain exhaustion and cold sweats. Gabriel was at least nice and warm to press up against though he refused to let Jack nod off for too long.

“We’re going to a hospital ship, I hear.” Gabriel murmured to him, lifting Jack up with a groan to shift his body weight to the other side of his body with some effort. “You’ll probably need some aloe from how much sunburn you have, Jackie.” He chuckled softly, trying to make light of the situation they just experienced.

“I want a soft… bed…” Jack quietly replied.

“Hm?”

Ah. Right. Engine is pretty loud and he’s basically sagging over Gabriel's shoulder.

“I said. ‘I want… want a soft… bed…’!” Jack repeated with a bit more effort than he would like to admit, but it was worth it to hear another snicker from Gabriel. The fact that he could feel the rumble against his own chest was amazing enough.

“Think they’ll let us push our beds together?”

Jack, much too tired and comfortable at this point shook his head; a small smile spreading across his lips as he let his heavy eyelids close for a few moments. “Nah… maybe… maybe on… our… our own boat…” 

\--

Jack groaned softly as he opened his eyes. The clicking of shoes and the rattling of carts nearby had his stomach sink quickly in panic as he bolted upright in bed. Immediately, he regretted that decision as vertigo snared him tightly in its oily claws, making him clutch his head while curling in on himself. While the quiet room seemed to help calm his nausea, he could help but feel like everything was too wrong. Where was everyone? Why could he not hear the engines of the ships as clearly as he usually could?

“Easy, Jackie. We’re safe now.” Came a familiar voice that made Jack slowly turn his head and force his eyes open for a moment to make sure he was hearing what he thought he was.

Brown skin, soft brown eyes, and a smile that made Jack’s stomach do many flip-flops…

“Gabe…” Jack spoke in relief as he snapped his eyes shut, confirming the man sitting in the chair next to his bed with a sheet over his own lap was, in fact, real. He laid back down on the bed almost immediately after to try to keep his nausea at bay. There were so many beds lining the walls that were filled that it made sense why Gabriel was sleeping in a chair than laying in a bed.

“You feeling okay, Jackie?”

Jack chuckled weakly at that. “Feel like I got hit by a truck.”

Gabriel snorted in laughter. “Your feet aren't too pretty to look at but it's mostly just the fatigue from hypothermia talking. No red lights for trucks to run out on the ocean.” He teased, putting a small smile on Jack’s lips as the other man just listened to him.

The momentary warmth was quickly smothered by reality as Jack recounted what happened the last time he was awake. “... We’re not on the Morrison, are we?” He asked quietly, as if afraid of being correct.

The noticeable silence that followed was enough to sink Jack’s hope (and heart) with it. 

“No.” Gabriel soberly replied. “No, we are not, Jack.”

The pit in Jack’s stomach continued to deepen for several long moments as Gabriel allowed him time to process it all. While he might not be friends with everyone on the Morrison, he couldn’t help but feel a large sense of loss clawing at his consciousness. Loss and guilt.

The only bit of hope that brought him some sense of relief was having his best friend beside him. Gabriel Reyes alive, well, and probably sporting an aching back and ass from camping out on that chair next to him while Jack slept on a slightly more comfortable cot. 

Jack wouldn’t have to break the terrible news to his own wife that he would not be bringing his best friend over to visit when the war was over. She seemed so excited and happy even with her mounting working back home on the farm. Hell, Jack found himself smiling when she wrote that she wouldn’t mind an ‘extra pair of arms’ if it meant kissing Jack one more time. 

“Thank god…” Jack gratefully smiled as he felt tears actively streaming down his cheeks.

The chair next to him creaked before the bed sagged slightly under Gabriel’s weight. A warm hand was brushing his cheeks in a clinical manner but Jack knew the gesture for what it barely concealed.

“We’re going back stateside once you’re released. ‘Survivor’s leave’ and all that.” Gabriel murmured as he drew his hand back but did not get up from his spot. “I don’t think I… Could I…”

“Yes.” Jack answered firmly, having a good idea of what he was asking even if he wasn’t a mind reader. “If it’s about you coming with me to Indiana, then, ‘yes’.” He added, just in case he really was jumping the gun. You know. To be safe and not assuming anything. Light backpedaling…

He heard a soft chuckle at that, Jack feeling his chest fill with warmth as the corners of his lips lifted with that beautiful sound.

He really was in love once more.

In love and alive with the man he wanted to bring home to his family.

“I look forward to getting your tractor stuck in a puddle.” Gabriel quietly snickered, making Jack grin as he tried not to laugh and get them both in trouble. Getting kicked off a hospital ship didn’t sound like much fun, especially with everything aching like it was.

“I could see that happening, along with you getting hopelessly lost in the field around harvest.”

He could practically see the shit-eating grin on Gabriel’s face even with his eyes closed.

“It’s not like I’ll go hungry, right?”

Jack just shook his head and sighed. “Try saying that after you take a bite out of a raw ear of corn.”

**Author's Note:**

> This fic took me months of researching and communicating with an actual navy historian so I hope you all enjoyed it.
> 
> Special thanks to 'FFruit' on Discord for helping me get more tidbits on WW2 US NAVY life, especially those hard to find bits about what sailors ate and answers to situational stuff on ships that Google couldn't find for me. You really helped me flesh out the setting more!
> 
> References:
> 
> Naval Legends - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqM1PS1YTo0
> 
> Manufacture of the bofors - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVeLsJtId_g
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Morrison_(DD-560)
> 
> http://www.kamikazeimages.net/stories/morrison/index.htm 
> 
> Please leave a review if you enjoyed this fic and want to see more like it! Let me know what you liked and did not like! A review is worth so much more to me than a kudo and would make me feel a lot better about spending so much time on a one-shot!


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